“We don’t have to talk anymore about the value of early childhood education: everyone agrees it’s critical. We do, however, have to talk about affordability, logistics and policy. With preschool tuition running $10,000-$30,000 per year, the cost of sending one child to preschool can be more than a family’s rent or mortgage. Early childhood education is not just a child development issue, it’s an economic one…”

“To address this issue, the city convened an Early Childhood Task Force in 2014. Its 2015 report articulates the admirable vision that “all children in Cambridge [will] receive high quality early education and care from birth through third grade,” and recommends initial steps toward that goal…”

“To start this process, the council and committee will have a joint roundtable discussion this fall. One of the main tasks of the roundtable should be to set a deadline by which a comprehensive system of early childhood education will be in place. A deadline will force us to answer, sooner rather than later, the questions related to policy, financing, and logistics.

“Some of those questions are:

“1. What should we do about the School Department’s tuition-free junior kindergarten program, which currently serves only older 4-year-olds born between September and March? Should we discontinue it, expand it to serve all 4-year-olds, or restrict it to low-income 4-year-olds?

“2. Do we have enough space for all the early childhood programs needed in Cambridge, and if not, where will the additional space come from?

“3. How can the city support families who prefer a home preschool or daycare setting?

“4. Where will the additional money come from for more city or school department programs or more family subsidies?

“5. How will the Department of Human Services and Cambridge Public Schools work together to ensure that all families with young children are supported and all children are prepared for kindergarten.”

“Urgency needed for early childhood education in Cambridge,” by Emily Dexter and Jan Devereux, Wicked Local Cambridge, July 12, 2017